Toy building construction



A. c. GILBERT. TOY BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED APR. 30,I915- RENEWED FEB- 8| I922.

Patented Aug. 22, 192i lV/TNESS S:

HIRED C. GILBERT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGINOR TO THE A. G,GILBER COMEANY, OF. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTIGU'1'.

TOY BUILDING cons'rrwcrroiw.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 22, 1922,

Application filed April 30, 1915, Serial No. 24,974. Renewed February 8,1922. Serial No. 535,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED C. GILBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of New Haven and. State of Connecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toy BuildingConstructions, of which the following is. a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to toy building construction intended to simulatethe modern structural steel used in building sky scrap-- ers, bridgesand for similar purposes. The invention relates more particularly to abox girder construction in which the girder consists of two or moresections which are connected end to end.

-The primary object of the invention is to provide improved means forinterconnecting the adjacent ends of the girder sections so that a verysimple joint will have the neces sary strength. Another object of theinvention is to interconnect the adjacent ends of the sections in such amanner that the structure may be conveniently and readily assembled andtaken apart. More specifically, my object is to provide a box girder inwhich two sections, each consisting of four strips or elements, may beeffectively interconnected by a single bolt, or similar fastening. I 4

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel featuresand combinations -of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed. I y

' In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a box girder, consisting of two interconnectedsections,

Fig. 2 is a similar view, taken at right an les to Fig. 1, v

ig. 3 is a top plan view of the girder, and 1 Fig. 4 is' an enlargedsection on line 4 -4 of Fi 1.'

Ref erring to the drawing, '10 is a light, flexible strip or barpreferably formed of thin sheet metal, portions of which are stampedout, as shown at 11, to present truss members 12 integrally connectingside members 13 extending parallel to each other at the margins of thestrip. The side members 13 are provided with flanges 14 at the sideedges of the strip. The median portion of the strip, including the-trussmembers 12 and the solid end portions15, is bent .inward out ofjtheplane" of the side mem-' bers 13, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to present,

in connection with flanges 14, parallel grooves, seats or channels 16,extending along the margins of the strip. Small bosses A 17 arepreferably punched in the side mem bers of the strip to presentprojections near the unct1ons of the truss members, which PIOJBCtlODSsimulatethe rivets used in structural steel work. It may be' stated,however, that while I have described in detail one particular form ofstrip which may be.

used for'making upa box girder, the character of strip employed may bevaried considerably without departing from the scope of the invention.

For the purpose of connecting a plurality of strips together to form abox girder, and

of connectmg a plurality of girders togethr, the solid portions 15 atthe ends of the strips are provided with perforations 18.

When a box girder is to be built up, a plu- ,ralityof strips wereassembled in the man- Between the outer oppositely located strips justmentioned, two inner strips are set in to complete the box-likestructure. The side flanges 14 of the inner strips fit the grooves 16 ofthe outer strips and space apart the outer strips, while the innerstrips are pre-' vented from outward movement relatively to the box-likestructure by the flanges 14 of A the outer strips. Theinner strips arealso prevented from inward movement relatively to the box-like structureby the engagement of their side edges in the channels or seats of theouter strips, as shown in 3. Thus, it will be seen that when the nuts 20of the bolts 19 are tightened, a'strong, rigid box girder sectionisprovided.

Assuming the box girder thus described to be the upper section shown inFigs. 1 and 2, I

this section may be interconnected with another section in order tolengthen the girder. by proceeding substantially as 1 follows: Althoughthe method of assemblage may be greatly varied it will be assumed forpurposes of. descrlption that the upper. section its assembled position.

t the girder,

parts in assembled relation.

lar form shown in the drawing, the upper ing bolt passes is completeexcept for its lower bolt 19, and that the lower section which is to bejoined to said upper section is also complete except for its upper boltinterconnecting the two outer strips. The sections are then nestedtogether in any appropriate, manner by the overlapping of their adjacentends, after which a single bolt 19 may be passed through certain of theregistering perforations 18 for the purpose of holding all of the.several In the particuendsof the outer strips of the lower section areslipped beneath the lower ends of the outer strips of the upper section,so as to bring their perforations 18 into registry with those of theupper strips. On the other hand, the upper ends of the inner strips ofthe lower section are slipped over the lower ends of the inner strips ofthe upper section. The fastening bolt is then passed through theperforation in the lower end of one of the outer strips of the uppersection, then through the registering perforation in the underlappingouter strip of the lower section, across the box-like structure, andthrough the registering perforations at the other side of the structure.Then after the nut is placed on the bolt and tightened up, the wholestructure will be firmly held'in The inner strips of the respectivesections are not positively locked against endwise sliding movement, butit has been found that when the nut on the fastening bolt has beentightened to a sullicient extent, these strips which are not directlyinterconnected by the bolt are clamped so tightly by the friction of the.other strips on their flanges that said inner strips are quite securelyand firmly clamped in place. It will thus be seen that by my improvedconstruction, a girder section, consisting of four separable strips, maybe se curely fastened to another similar section by means of a singlebolt, or similar fastening.

The arrangement of the eight strips forming the girder illustrated issymmetrical throughout the structure, but obviously this is notanessential feature of the invention. For example, one of the outerstrips of the outer section might overlap the correspond ing strip ofthe lower section at one side of While at the opposite side of thegirder the outer strip ofthe lower section might overlap thecorresponding strip of the upper section. This also applies to the innerstrips, and it will be seen that two adjacent sections may readily befitted togather and interlocked without any great care in assembling, solong'as the fastenthrough what may be termed the outermost strips of thestructure, at the overlapping joint portion thereof. It will be apparentthat in the completed structure, the overlapping ends of the outerstrips are by. the flexible or yielding character of the comparativelythin sheet metal strips. This permits two strips which are initially ofidentical cross-section to be connected end to end insuch a manner thatthe overlapping end portions nest together and conform quite closely toeach other under the pressure of thevfastening bolt or bolts; Thisresult is due primarily, of course, to the yielding nature of the sideflanges which make each strip more or less self-adjusting, and enablesit to conform to and fit similar strips and other parts in a mannerwhich would be quite impossible if the strip were so rigid as to resistbending.

Various changes in the details of the construction may be adoptedwithout departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in theclaims.

I do not claim herein the construction of the girder section per 'semade up of four strips with channels or seats therein, as claimed in myapplication, Serial No. 814,533.

What .1 claim is 1. In toy building construction, two miniature boxgirder or column sections, each formed of a plurality of strips of lightflexible sheet metal assembled separably into a box-like structure, theends of the strips of one section overlapping those of the othersection, and means for fastening the sections detachably together wherethey overlap; substantially as described.

2. In a building toy,'the combination of I a miniature box girdersection comprising four light flexible strips separably assembled,

a similar section formed of four light flexible strips separablyassembled, the strips of the two sections being overlapped at theirends, and one or morebolts for fastening the sections detachablytogether.

3. In toy building construction, the combination of a miniature boxgirder or column -section comprising four strips, two opposite stripshaving longitudinal parallel inwardly facing seats engaged by the sideedge pore tions of the other two strips, a second section made up ofsimilar strips, the corresponding strips of the respective sectionsbeing overlapped at the ends, and means passing through certain stripsof both sections,

where said strips overlap, for fastening the several partsdetachablytogether in assembled'relation.

4. toy building construction, a box v I a single bolt passing throughthe overlapping portions of certain strips for interconnecting saidsections; substantially as described.

5. In toy building construction, a miniature box girder or columncomposed of at least two endwise-connected sections, each of saidsections comprising four strips of light flexible sheet metal separablyassembled in box-like form, two of the strips of each section beingprovided with longitudinal in- 1 wardly facing seats engaged by the sidepor- 'tions ot'the other two strips, such other two strips being setinbetween the first or outer strips to space them apart, the corresponding strips of the respective sections being overlapped at the ends andsnugly nested together, and a single'means at the overlapping portionsof the sections forholding the strips of both sections in assembledrelation and for inter-connecting the respective sections.

(5. In a toy box girder, the combination of a box girder sectioncomposed ofa pair of opposing outer strips and a pair of inner stripsset in between the outer strips to space them'apart, said outer stripsprovided with means to prevent inward and outward displacement of theinner strips, a second box girder-section similar to the first, the endportions of the strips of one section overlapping the end portions ofthe corresponding strips of the other section, and a single bolt passingthrough said sections at a point where they overlap for holding theparts in assembled relation; substantially as described.

7. In toy building construction, the combination of a box girder sectionformed of an outer pair of strips and an inner pair of strips, saidsections having means for preventing inward and outward displacement ofthe inner strips, a similar section formed transversely through theoverlapped strips at opposite sides-of the structure, andinterconnecting the sections; substantially as described. I

8. In toy building construction, a miniature box girder or columnsection comprising an outer pair of, light flexible sheet metal stripsand an inner pair of light flexible sheet metal strips set in betweensaid first strips to space them apart, the outer strips havinglongitudinal inwardly facing seats in which the side edge portions ofthe inner strips are detachably engaged to prevent inward and outwarddisplacement of said inner strips, a similar miniature box girder orcolumn section formed of similar .outer and inner strips, thecorresponding strips of the two sections bein overlapped in 'an endwisedirection, an a bolt passing through the outer strips of both sectionswhere they overlap and'traversing the boxlike structure for holding thestrips of both sections in assembled relation at that portion of thestructure and for inner-connecting the sections.

9. In a toy box girder, two miniature box girder sections eachcomprising four laterally separable strips, two of the strips of eachsection being set in between the other two to space them apart and suchother two strips being provided with means for prevent ing outward andinward displacement of the inner spacing strips, one end portion of eachof said strips overlappingthe end portion of the corresponding adjacentstrip of the other section, a single fastening bolt traversing thebox-like structure at the juncture of the sections and passing throughthe outer strips of both sections where they overlap for holding thestrips of both sections in assembled relation at the juncture of thesections and detachably inter-connecting said' sections, and boltspassing through the outer strips of both sections at the remote ends ofsaid sections for holding the strips in assembled relation at suchremote ends.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on the 28th day ofApril, 1915.

ALFREDv C. GILBERT.

